![\"Anti](\"https:\/\/www.bmediagroup.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Anti-Smoking-Apotek.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDoctors used science long ago to prove that smoking is an extraordinarily unhealthy habit, and it can lead to a large number of medical conditions. Also, it\u2019s expensive, causes damage to buildings, bothers others, and has many other negative effects.<\/p>\n
Even with all of these reasons to stop smoking, people still do it. A lot of people. Why? Because it\u2019s very addictive.<\/p>\n
Anti-smoking advertising has been going on for quite some time, but maybe a new strategy will help. After all, it\u2019s quite embarrassing when a sign gives you a hard time while you\u2019re walking down the street, as one in Scandinavia just did.<\/p>\n
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One of the most creative anti-smoking signs ever created was recently placed in a busy square in Stockholm, Sweden. This location was chosen because it happens to be a place where many people go to smoke.<\/p>\n
The sign itself was a digital display showing a simple image of a person in black and white, and the name of the business was displayed across the bottom. It\u2019s the kind of ad you see all over the place, and you may not even register it above a subconscious level.<\/p>\n
However, what you don\u2019t notice while just looking at it is that a smoke detector is hidden inside of the sign. When a smoker walks by, the machine picks up on the smell, and the image changes to a coughing man. It\u2019s a very clear message that the guy is bothered by the harsh smell of the burning tobacco. Then, it shows some ads for some common products that will help people quit.<\/p>\n
This sign was done in such a clever way that a lot of people took notice. It was clear that it was reacting to the people walking by, and that unusual behavior led to some funny (and uncomfortable) reactions from the general public.<\/p>\n
The whole thing was a creative plan that was well executed, but the creators didn\u2019t stop there. They also had a film crew around to discretely make a video of people\u2019s reactions to the sign, and that was entertaining in itself.<\/p>\n
They shared the video online, of course, and this meant that it went from outdoor advertising to something that could freely spread around social media.<\/p>\n
![\"Anti](\"https:\/\/www.bmediagroup.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Anti-Smoking-Advertising-1030x788.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not uncommon to see stop smoking billboards created by governments or other non-profit organizations, but this one was made for a business. It was put together by the agency Akestam Holst, and they made it for the Apotek Hjartat pharmacy. When you think about it, it\u2019s a perfect match for the brand. The purpose of a pharmacy is to help you stay healthy and live a longer life, and quitting smoking really contributes to that.<\/p>\n
So, not only was it funny and eye-catching, but the billboard remained relevant to the messages that the company wants to put out.<\/p>\n
Just as the location was chosen because it\u2019s a place where many people light up, there was a specific reason of why they released it in January. This is the month when people are trying to follow their recently made New Year\u2019s resolutions, and quitting smoking is one of the most common goals that people set. It\u2019s also one that many people fail to follow through on because of how difficult it is. This is a fun, catchy reminder to help people remember what they\u2019re doing, and it would still work in August, but it wouldn\u2019t work as well without the extra timing element.<\/p>\n
![\"Coughing](\"https:\/\/www.bmediagroup.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Anti-Smoking-Billboard.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
This campaign accomplishes some pretty standard goals that companies aim for when investing in advertising. It helps their brand become known, increases sales, and gives updates about current products. However, it also takes things a step further by doing something that contributes to society.<\/p>\n
From a business point of view, a pharmacy will probably be able to sell products to smokers and non-smokers alike, so it\u2019s not like it\u2019s chasing away customers. But, if they build the image of being a trusted friend and valuable member of the community, they might just end up with more customers (even those who have never been interested in tobacco).<\/p>\n
Hopefully this campaign will serve as an inspiration to you in more ways than one. It\u2019s a clever example of how you can mix outdoor advertising with a viral video, and it\u2019s another case that proves that signs aren\u2019t limited to being one-sided, static images. On the other hand, it should be a good challenge for you to find some social causes that can help boost your business. You don\u2019t have to be in a field related to medicine in order to do something positive for the world, and even a small amount of effort can be enough to help you win some customers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Doctors used science long ago to prove that smoking is an extraordinarily unhealthy habit, and it can lead to a large number of medical conditions. Also, it\u2019s expensive, causes damage to buildings, bothers others, and has many other negative effects. Even with all of these reasons to stop smoking, people still do it. A lot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-billboards","category-blog","category-guerilla-marketing"],"yoast_head":"\n